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MUJI converts 100-year-old Japanese house into tranquil Airbnb stay

2023-07-27T12:56:00-04:00

Iconic Japanese design retailer MUJI is back on the residential market with details of its new MUJI Base Kamogawa home renovation project for Airbnb.

Located an hour and thirty minutes outside Tokyo in Chiba Prefecture, the new temporary stay inside the 100-year-old former Noda Printmaking Workshop offers amenities for up to five guests aligned with a naturalistic Satoyama lifestyle concept.

Image courtesy MUJI/Airbnb

Of course, the whole scheme comes decked out entirely in MUJI products. The brand synergy extends all the way down to toothbrushes, cookware, and other home goods curated from the MUJI product line. For $152 a night, guests also have the choice between pre-packaged MUJI meals and the reasonably-priced home delivery of produce from local farmers. Seasonal tours of the nearby Takahashi Melon Farm are available as well.

Image courtesy MUJI/Airbnb

The brand says it will soon expand the BASE concept to other cities in Japan...

Muji finally opens its first hotel in its hometown of Ginza, Japan

2019-03-28T18:44:00-04:00

It’s a radical way of thinking about advertising, especially for a company that has a “no label” ethos and hasn’t run traditional ad campaigns since the company launched in 1980. Instead of slapping its name on its products or shoving ads in people’s faces, Muji wants to invite customers to the Muji Hotel to experience the “anti-brand” lifestyle it’s selling.

It is hard not to fall in love with MUJI, the famed household and consumer goods company from Japan uses their "no label" branding tactic to win consumers over throughout the years. With the news of MUJI opening their first hotel in the company's hometown of Ginza, people can now stay in a minimalist lover's dream hotel with MUJI goods within their fingertips. Beyond the hotel's interior design and aesthetic, many point out the brand's clever advertising strategy with the hotel's opening.

Image courtesy of MUJI.

The hotel sits on top of MUJI's global flagship store, housing 79 rooms all varying in size and interior arrangements. According to the company's website, there are nine room options which satisfy various sleeping arrangements. For the ultimate minimalist, the smallest room size measures between 155 square feet to the largest room size measuring at 560 square feet. Rooms are entirely outfitted with furniture and home accessories by MUJI in addition to other complimentary ite...

Muji designs autonomous shuttle bus uniquely fit for all weather conditions

2018-11-02T14:02:00-04:00

The Japanese retailer MUJI, known for their minimalist home furnishings and micro-apartment designs, has designed an autonomous vehicle. Teaming up with Sensible 4, a Finnish startup working on weatherproof technology for autonomous vehicles, the two companies have collaborated on a sleek new shuttle bus—the Gacha—uniquely designed to fit all weather conditions.

Companies looking to be global pioneers of automation technology have zoomed in on California and Southern Europe to develop their systems. The Finnish company believes that this will severely hinder the viability of autonomous technology to work in a variety of weather conditions. For example, Tesla's autopilot function works mainly as a video camera-based lane guard. However, as CEO Harri Santamala noted, "if it cannot see the lanes [due to the weather], it is easy to conclude what is going to happen."

Sensible 4's automation technology, alternatively, relies on a multi-sensor system, complete with thermal cameras and rada...

Muji's apartment prototype tackles long commutes and highly dense cities

2018-10-05T20:23:00-04:00

Created for the annual exhibition House Vision, the prototype is a thought experiment in the way people live in super-dense cities. [...] It’s a common problem in big cities all over the world, and Hasegawa’s design is meant to balance space-saving with privacy, transforming a 1.5-story space (which are common across the city) into a usable space for four.

Highly-dense cities are common through out countries like China and Japan. Popular apparel and houseware brand, Muji, are taking creative steps in tackling long commutes and dense city living most employees face. Partnering with Japanese architect, Go Hasegawa, Muji's apartment prototype aims to turn a 1.5 story space into a cozy and functional live-work environment.

Image courtesy of Nacása & Partners Inc. © HOUSE VISION

Equipped with an open communal space and kitchen, the Muji furnished apartment would have a balance of work functionality and privacy. The upper level of the space would mimic a lofted canopy design that would create a reimagined second story. Cities like Beijing continuously have increasingly high land prices which effect living costs. With this type of design concept, has Muji found a way to rethink shared co-working quarters?

Image courtesy of Nacása & Partners Inc. © HOUSE VISION

MUJI enters the hospitality market with two new hotels in China

2018-01-10T14:18:00-05:00

The first images of MUJI Hotel Shenzhen have been released, and they show that it has been built to reflect the ethos of the brand that is best-known for its minimalist homeware products. [...] The company says the hotels have been designed to reflect “an anti-gorgeous, anti-cheap” concept. Its goal is to offer great sleep at the right price, provide a space supporting both body and mind while away from home, and connect travellers to local people and places.

Bedroom inside the MUJI HOTEL in Shenzhen.

After experimenting with houses for (strictly) dogs and (mostly) humans, Japanese lifestyle design retailer MUJI is now also entering the hospitality sector with two new branded hotels to open in Shenzhen on January 18 and in Beijing on March 20.

Bathroom inside the MUJI HOTEL in Shenzhen.

To separate itself from the incumbent competition in a crowded market, MUJI describes its hotel concept having neither "exorbitantly priced and superfluent services nor dreary guest rooms resulting from the extreme reduction of quality"; a reflection of the company's design philosophy of "not too much, not too little."

Inside the MUJI HOTEL in Shenzhen.

To round off the experience, guests will find a MUJI Diner in the same building as well as a MUJI store to purchase all the fine products they just surrounded themselves with.

The first hotel outside of China is scheduled to open in spring of 2019 in Tokyo's Ginza district.

Images via hotel.muji.com.

...

Live in Muji's Window House for two years, for free

2016-08-11T17:54:00-04:00

Still dreaming about living in one of Muji's pre-fab houses? That wish can come true for one lucky person, and maybe their family or friends. The lifestyle brand is currently accepting applications for a two-year residency in a new test model of Muji's Window House in Kamakura—rent-free and fully furnished.

Unlike the Vertical House that was designed to squeeze into Tokyo's tight spaces, the Window House can enjoy more wiggle room in areas with less urban density. The seaside town of Kamakura has a population of approximately 174,000, while Tokyo boasts about 13.6 million.

Photos via Spoon & Tamago.

As its name states, the two-story Window House has windows on all four sides that are strategically positioned to allow for optimal airflow and natural light. Although Muji will cover the expenses, the winning applicant — whether it's a single person, a group of friends, or a family — will have to provide feedback about their experience to staff in an ongoing monitoring process. On top of t...

Look back, move forward: Weekly News Round-Up for November 3, 2014

2014-11-10T18:55:00-05:00

Friday, November 7:

8,000 Glowing Balloons Recreate the Berlin Wall: A 10 mile chain of balloons will line the path where the Wall previously stood, to commemorate the 25th anniversary of its demolition.
First Ever Chicago Architecture Biennial Taking Shape for 2015: The Biennial's theme of "The State of the Art of Architecture" (named after Stanley Tigerman's 1977 conference), is starting to take shape, and will include a photo exhibition on Chicago from Iwan Baan.

Thursday, November 6:

Massive Hollywood project sits atop quake fault: The California Geological Survey confirmed that the Millenium Hollywood skyscraper sits on top of an active fault, despite the fact that the developer's consultants find no evidence of an active fault in their analysis of the data. LA's Department of Building and Safety will ultimately determine whether the Millenium can be built.
Centre Pompidou To Open Design and Architecture Gallery: Upon the opening of its new photography gallery, the renowned Parisian...

Muji's prefab Vertical House now available for Japanese residences

2014-11-03T15:11:00-05:00

MUJI HOUSE, the architectural entity of Japanese design brand Muji, recently released their latest prefab house in Tokyo called the Vertical House. The slender 3-story structure was primarily designed for urban dwellers living within Tokyo's tight living spaces.

Designed with simple white walls and wooden flooring, the house exhibits the same contemporary minimal aesthetic that Muji's products continue to gain popularity for. The house was built with a timber framework method and an open plan interior with no doors or interior walls. The house also features a kitchen and dining area, a living room, bedroom, bathroom, and large windows that allow for ample sunlight.

Muji isn't entirely new to the prefab house scene. The company worked with prominent Japanese architects like Kengo Kuma for the Window House in 2008 followed by the Tree House in 2009. Muji then worked with Shigeru Ban for the Furniture House during the House Vision 2013 Tokyo Exhibition.

Product details:
Name: Vertical Ho...

Renowned Japanese architects commissioned by Muji to design doghouses

2012-11-07T12:46:00-05:00

On November 20, Kazuyo Sejima, Shigeru Ban, Sou Fujimoto, Toyo Ito, Kengo Kuma, and six other renowned architects will launch the results of a project kept under wraps for months: a line of breed-specific dog houses commissioned by Muji design director Kenya Hara, who has also designed an abode (for the Toy Poodle).